October 31, 2011

Happy Hallowe'en sweet readers! I decided to dress up a little this year with a Tom Banwell designed leather filigree mask.. Something I've been coveting for a while. Really I almost look at the holiday as an excuse to play dress up rather than as an excuse to eat lots of candy.
You can get your own at Tom Banwell's etsy store
What are you wearing this Hallowe'en? Do you have any coveted pieces you're pulling out of the closet?

October 30, 2011

I recently had my hair re-layered. I'm a big fan of Joe at salon his salon named Hair.com. Basically he's my hair whisperer, mostly because he's definitely not afraid of taming my coarse unruly locks.
Because I also happen to be rather lazy when it come to my hair, I tend to go for styles which look good messy and don't require lots of styling.

October 28, 2011

I usually don't post many pictures from runways but lately I've really been into the Spring 2012 collection from McQueen - designed by Sarah Burton. I wasn't always a big fan of the brand, some of the looks were just a little too inaccessible for me, such as the Fall 2009 RTW collection. However, this collection is very feminine and I think very wearable once you remove the headgear.

October 24, 2011

I am so excited that one of Steven Oo's designs is showing up at Anthropologie online and in limited stores only. I had met Steven in my days as an undergrad at Berkeley, when his style talents were already light years ahead. I would always be interested in what he was wearing to class and would end up coveting his outfits...yes sometimes you just want to borrow from the boys.

October 22, 2011

Fall in California is a tricky time for dressing - temperatures can feel like summer or can go all the way to chilly with the need for a heater. Some leaves will turn colour, but you can still have plenty of flowers blooming in the meantime. Grass will actually start turning green rather than the gold colour it turns during summer months. Seasons tend to blur as opposed to being clearly defined.

However, there are some constant things I do when fall starts. I tend to break out the lightweight turtlenecks in addition to the cardigans I have around for layering year round. I'm wearing the Diamonds and Lace Turtleneck in pink by Free People below. I also start wearing the corduroys - A.G. Stevie is my all time favorite for it's plush cotton corduroy and flattering skinny leg fit. Plus, each fall season new colours are available!

October 20, 2011

Ever since I saw this style of Stuart Weitzmans I've been having a total shoe crush. They have the perfect bow...large enough to make a statement but small enough to keep the overall design classy enough to last. The material snob in me just loves the patent mirror-like leather. Literally I use a microfiber cloth for eyeglasses to polish these shoes!

I bought these black ones on sale as I just couldn't bring myself to pay retail on these. I have to admit though that the same shoes in ruby red are really quite something! Also I find the arches on Stuart Weitzmans to be quite comfy for the heel height. That's coming from a girl whose everyday uniform consists of flats.

October 17, 2011

While Halloween has gotten more tacky and dare I say sleazy in terms of costumes, I am still inspired by the high fashion version of playing dress up for the occasion. Right now I love a secret garden with a slight macabre twist type of look. Dewdrops on spider webs like a string of pearls, bits of black lace and smudged eyeliner, fairies which resemble ghosts.

October 15, 2011

This is such a unique bracelet in it's surprising combination of ruffles and horn (who knew horn could be molded to look like this?) It creates a certain beauty you wouldn't see if the item were made of plastic instead. I love this combination of colours: corally pinks which melt into burgundy browns,

October 12, 2011

Being nitpicky is a large part of developing a taste within fashion. Personally I've found that the more educated I am, the more picky I've become about what I buy and where I go to buy.

My fashion black list is essentially a list of certain places or categories I basically avoid thanks to past experience. Over time I've felt it more and more important to put money towards designs that really continue to work for me, rather than try to fit myself (i.e. through tailoring and other means) to accomodate them.

1) Macy's - what once was a solid department store (in my neighborhood) has become a bastion of poor customer service and a lot of supposedly mid-priced items with low quality or rather boring style. Hopefully your local one is faring better. But for me, I think I go in perhaps once a year at most to see if things have changed and then leave disappointed again.

2) White House Black Market - the company definitely doesn't cut its clothing for petites, which is most unfortunate.

3) Target - with the one big exception of the designer collaborations, universally all other clothing I have ever purchased from the store has fallen apart after very little wear. I don't even bother buying basic layering pieces from them because nothing lasts.

4) J. Crew (Pants) - while I still love the sweaters and headbands, the entire pants section is completely off limits because the cuts simply don't work for me. Annoying lack of a petites section in-store always ticks me a off a bit.

5) Any polyester, acrylic, man made leather - I've found that it's increasingly difficult as manufacturers get better and better at making the fake stuff (i.e. polyester) look like the real stuff (i.e. silk). A highly disturbing trend is I've found many otherwise good brands inserting crappy textiles or materials but pricing them on par with what they would normally charge for the real thing. I've seen what should be silk blouses from Leifsdottir and Elizabeth and James actually made out of extremely good 100% polyester being sold at a prices only reasonable for real silk. Sacrilege!

Don't believe me? Take a look at the Jeffrey Campbell 'Mention' Flat below - see how pretty the pictures are? But it's not real patent leather, it's pleather! Priced at a regular price of $99.95! Don't get me wrong - I love Jeffrey Campbell's leather shoes, but I literally trusted the brand to be all leather to the point that I bought this flat, got home, realized it was fake and returned it.

6) "Free" cosmetic counter makeovers or facials - I swear doing anything besides a swatch on the back of your hand is asking for trouble. No matter how immaculate or expensive the counter, I've found myself breaking out after almost any makeup application or facial. I think it ultimately boils down to the bacteria factor thanks to tons of people trying out the same thing you are, some with better or worse ideas of hygiene. Petrilude has an excellent video on proper cosmetic counter etiquette.

Do you have places or things on your fashion black list? Do tell in the comments!

October 09, 2011

My morning makeup routine is essentially a "no-makeup" routine - made only possible by focusing on keeping skin very fresh, protected, and hydrated so that it looks good without need for foundation everyday. Plus I love using products that do double duty.

First, I cleanse with Dermalogica Precleanse - basically an oil-based cleanser you rub on your dry face and then add water so it turns into a milky emulsion. As odd as it sounds, I find oil-based cleansers perfect for cleaning my normal-oily combination skin gently without leaving it feeling stripped.

Living in California means plenty of rays - so sunscreen is really essential. I use Philosophy Hope Oil-Free SPF 30 every day now, which doubles as my daytime moisturizer. Ever since I switched to using sunscreen everyday, I've definitely seen improvement in terms of less freckling, and totally agree with the beauty advisors who preach the mantra of "sunscreen-sunscreen-sunscreen" as being the true secret to great skin.